Questioning Werner Erhard

[EWLGtoday]

Yeah, I'd want to know how he marketed est, and filled those rooms, and indoor stadiums!

[tomorrowstruth]

the marketing: on the one hand. est's construct/way of thinking/philosophical architecture places a lot of responsibility on the single person while at the same time releasing other pressures.

But during this psychological destabilization, the participants dwell in a slanted environment: "you can only keep what you got, live a life of possibility etc. if you have the integrity to get people to do the Forum/EST", etc---> The marketing is super-glued into the sandwich of "applied philosophy".

[Crebralassassin]

@tomorrowstruth Theres no psychological destabilisation,. thats just a story.

[standinginnothing]

He did write a book called Transformation of a man

[JodySimkins]

@standinginnothing I believe that was written by someone else and that was a long time ago.

[billyjo1881]

I would ask Werner if he would be interested in doing an interview with Ken Wilber ? Those two men { Werner and Ken } have greatly contributed to my life, as also to millions of others. That would be my Super Bowl of great thinkers.

[erolfox]

Agreement = reality, in the mental world, is Scientology. Makes sense. If enough people agree that Palin should run the country, and she'd the greatest leader in the world, she will be. Agreement doesn't mean something IS real, we just think it's real and can't tell that it's not real.

[tworedlines]

I might ask Werner Erhard : specifically what saw the world would look like or could look like, if it were "transformed" and if ti were working in a new way beyond the conditions and circumstances seem to allow or not allow for e.g. what might the governments look like or what would the family unit look like or how might they function differently, or what role would the military play or would the arts play in our lives? What is the future we have to look forward to as a species?

[borge225]

I went through all of the training seminars more than once, all in San Francisco and all in 1980. I still use what I learned there every day. It probably had more of an impact on my life than anything else. I think that a video of one of the first seminars, conducted by Werner, would make the most powerful play I can imagine. That said: I think Werner and all of his robots were the biggest bunch of jerks I ever experienced in my life. Arrogant, self absorbed, creepy and dishonest.

[johnnyaught]

@borge225 Thank you. There's so much good there...but it's tied to something not so good...manipulation is part of the delivery process, but it kinda never ends...

[TonyRush]

I'd ask, "Where can one get a copy of the est training manual that sat on the podium all those years?" :)

[HunterMann]

I'd ask him: Can I PLEASE go to the bathroom?!

[ytcarol]

@HunterMann That's funny. I recall being told that there were no bathroom breaks. Then, when I really had to take a crap in the middle of a session, and there was no negotiating that, I went to the door and said, I'm going out to take a crap now, and they said, ok, hurry back. That was it. I always knew there was no coercion; the real issue was how you saw that rule -- as dominance, or as simply keeping your word to stay with it. There was a guy 2 seats down who peed on the floor though.

[golfer6716]

Everything matters and nothing matters. Zen and Est are both in agreement.

[Tr00therate]

if nothing matters, and nothing is "everything" , then wouldn't everything matter?

[TheCommonData]

No. Simple logic: If everything is nothing and nothing matters, then everything also matters NOT. The words "everything" and "nothing" are interchangeable. Understand?

[austinphotographer]

I have that little book right here. The gentleman on the left misquoted. The actual aphorism reads: "You don't get to vote on the way it is. You already did." I took est in 1981. It is by far the smartest thing I ever did for myself.

[bzrk180]

Interesting question..."How do you feel now that you are away from that work and that accomplishment" (paraphrased of course)... How can one be "away" from their own accomplishments. His work is his life...Authenticity and being real are who he is (I think anyway) and this will always be with him.

[anwaya]

What's next?

[gurutruth]

It would be interesting to ask him if he thought it had all been worth it, what his net worth is, and what he thinks his legacy will be and what the history books will write about him.

[NDrLoR]

In the late-70's, while I was working at the gas company, an est seminar was held at the Dallas Statler-Hilton across the street. I saw a participant with a name tag identifying her as an est attendee. I got tickled and said "Coo-Coo" "Coo-Coo" out loud. I never will forget how mad she got--she started yelling and screaming at me--which only made it funnier as I made my way back to work. Hope she had fun at the seminar...

[TonyRush]

It makes you wonder: "When's the last time any of us saw information that was SO RADICALLY DIFFERENT from everything else out there that we would enthusiastically (and somewhat evangelistically) share it with others without needing to sign a joint-venture agreement....or set up an affiliate program underneath it?

Food for thought!

[TonyRush]

Great questions. I think the answer to the last question is outrageously radical: there was no marketing.

EST was so radically unique and refreshing as compared to everything else that was going on at the time that people just couldn't help but talk about it to their friends and families.

"Hey, I did this thing called 'est' this weekend and it blew my mind!" they'd say. Next thing you know, it was raging like a forest fire.

[bodypro8]

@TonyRush It was all marketing and there is nothing new under the sun. And yes I did do the training in May 1980 at the University of British Columbia and was involved in seminars for years afterwards. Werner was a brilliant guy, a marketing genius who synthesized various disciplines and created a delivery system that promised enlightenment in two weekends. Did it work? Sure it did. I saw what didn't work in my life and proceeded to do just that. Because I wanted to.